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Making a Water Rail – Dave's Garage Zetec RWD Mk1 Escort Ep 2

Dave's Garage UK Zetec RWD Mk1 Escort – Episode 2 title card: DIY water rail from box section

The Zetec’s coolant outlet was designed for an engine sitting across a front-wheel-drive Ford. Its standard water rail comes off the back of the cylinder head and sticks out a long way, and once the engine is turned north–south in a Mk1 Escort that bulky casting fouls the bulkhead. In this video Dave’s Garage UK makes a replacement from scrap steel, and the second entry in the channel’s Zetec RWD playlist shows the whole job from the first cardboard template to the finished rail bolted on.

Video: Dave's Garage on YouTube · watch “Ford Escort MK1 Zetec water rail DIY” on YouTube

What happens in Episode 2

The plan (0:40). Instead of round tube, the rail is made from 2x1 rectangular box section. It leaves the head, runs along the side of the engine, turns away and finishes in a Fiesta-type thermostat housing. Dave points out that the finished shape gives the engine bay something of a BDA look.

A scrap engine for mock-ups (1:52). All the fitting is done on an old 1.8 Zetec he got from a scrap dealer for free, which he also uses for mocking up the engine mounts and exhaust. The outlet is the same on the ST170’s head, so a part made on the 1.8 will fit the car’s engine. The scrap head also matters for another reason: the die grinder throws off metal shards that would ruin a good engine.

The mounting plate (1:52 to 6:27). A cardboard template is cut out and, to his own surprise, works as a guide for the plasma cutter. To find the bolt holes he taps the plate’s outline and holes through with a ball-pein hammer, the old way of making a gasket, then centre punches and drills. He’s candid that his holes rarely line up first time: the first bolt goes in, the second usually follows, the third won’t, so he opens two of them out to 9mm for some adjustment and admits it’s a bodge. One hole sits close to the plate’s edge, and he says he should have made the plate taller. The port is then opened out with a die grinder to match the head.

Building the body (6:27 to 13:20). Cap-head bolts are used on the plate so the box section can sit around them. The box section gets a full hole on one side and a half-circle on the other. With no 2-inch pipe to hand, he closes the open end with a strip of flat bar wrapped round and welded on. Edges are bevelled for weld penetration, and the joint is welded from the inside out so it ends up watertight.

Supporting it and routing it (13:20 to 21:50). A second length of box section runs along the engine, held by two tabs of 3mm plate, the same thickness as the box section. To make the tabs match, he cuts one, bolts the pair together and cuts the second to suit. The route has to stay clear of the exhaust and the head’s holes, so cardboard is used again to find the angles. Rather than bending tube, as he did when he started making these, he cuts and welds straight pieces, which he finds far less hassle.

The thermostat end (21:50 to 30:00). A plate for the Fiesta-type thermostat housing is cut from a template, clamped to its partner and drilled through on the drill press so the holes match, then the gasket is made the same way as before. Pieces cut at 45 degrees bring the outlet round to the right angle, and studs are welded in rather than bolting through.

The result (30:00). The rail goes back on the engine mostly finished. The heater take-off still needs adding, and he’s thinking about electroplating it. He puts the raw material at about £20 and the labour at roughly eight hours.

Parts, tools and materials mentioned

  • 2x1 rectangular steel box section and flat bar
  • Steel plate for the mounting plates, and 3mm plate for the tabs
  • Fiesta-type thermostat housing
  • Cap-head bolts and welded-in studs
  • A scrap 1.8 Zetec for mocking up
  • Plasma cutter, die grinder, drill press, ball-pein hammer and welder

Lessons for your own Mk1

  • Mock up on a scrap engine. A free or cheap donor lets you grind, drill and offer up parts without risking the engine that goes in the car.
  • Cardboard first, steel second. It’s quicker to find angles and no-go areas with card than with metal.
  • Cut and weld rather than bend. Straight pieces of box section joined at an angle are easier to get right than bent tube.
  • Weld for water, not just strength. Bevel the edges and weld from the inside so the rail doesn’t weep.
  • Count your time. At about £20 of steel it’s cheap, but eight hours is why Dave says he couldn’t make them to sell.

Mk1 context

Period Mk1 engines like the Kent crossflow and the BDA were designed to sit north–south, so their plumbing never had to clear the Escort’s bulkhead from this angle. A modern transverse engine needs its coolant outlets, like its sump and pickup in Episode 1, rethought for a longitudinal installation.

Mk1 EscortZetec